There was no audience Tuesday evening when the Southside Independent School District board voted 4-3 to extend the contract of Superintendent Juan Jasso for one year and give him a 3 percent raise.

Board President Lisa Salazar said she was surprised by the vote and said she had “no idea” why the three trustees voted against it. She voted in favor of the June 2017 contract extension and salary boost, as did trustees Craig Knapp, Margie Lopez and Raul Martinez.

“He's done a good job,” Salazar said, noting Jasso had increased academic performance, created new programs and has been active in local and state educational issues.

“I can't brag on you enough,” Salazar told Jasso.

Punctuated by the silence of an empty board room, the voices of the group could be heard from behind a thick, wooden door as they discussed the superintendent's evaluation and other agenda items for close to four hours.

Jasso said he thought trustees opposed to the contract extension might have taken issue with his benefits package, which he declined to detail.

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“My pleasure comes from the fact that we had a very constructive conversation about my duties,” Jasso said when asked about the vote.

Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, the School Board is allowed to convene in closed session to discuss superintendent contracts and evaluations. Superintendents are evaluated once a year on topics such as school morale, academic performance and personnel management, according to recommendations listed by the Texas Education Agency.

Jasso was hired in 2010 after serving as superintendent of the 900-student Van Vleck ISD in Matagorda County. According to his contract, Jasso earned a yearly salary of $149,643 as superintendent of a district with roughly 5,200 students. The 3 percent raise will bump it up to $154,132, Salazar said.

Tension among trustees surfaced this year when board members twice tried to censure trustee Alma Guzman, who won a seat in a contentious election and while a lawsuit against the district was pending. The case has been moved to federal court as a gender-discrimination lawsuit.